


Witches for Weasleys Year 4

by Spajuch13



Series: Witches for Weasleys [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-22 14:08:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4838069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spajuch13/pseuds/Spajuch13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fourth year of Fred, George, Cas, and Jo's time at Hogwarts, including relationship(s), a couple of fights, a betrayal of the worst possible kind, a lost sibling, and a fair amount of mischief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Year 4-1 POV George

I've done some stupid things in my life, alone and with Fred. This fact could summarize my entire life- I’m never going to change. I’m proving it right now; probably topping myself for stupidest and most life threatening scheme too. Yet none of this is actually relevant, at least not next to the conversation taking place behind me. The four of us- Fred, Cassidy, Jo, and I- we’re in my dad’s magically enhanced muggle car. By magically enhanced, I mean that it can fly. And by the four of us, I actually mean five- Ron’s here too, but he’s not actually doing much except trying to help keep Fred driving in the right direction. We’re on a rescue mission, the target: Harry Potter, location: I’m not actually paying enough attention to know specifics like that. What I do know is that Mum is more than likely going to kill my brothers and I when we get back to the Burrow…that is, if we get caught.

“We’re going to get caught,” Cassidy mutters from behind me. I’m in the passenger’s seat next to Fred, and Cassidy is right behind me. Jo is behind Fred, and Ron is in the middle of them. I don’t know how we’re supposed to fit another body in here, but that’s a problem for when we actually procure the final body. For now I’m just focused on Cassidy’s comment.  

“The only way we get caught is if someone tells, and knowing you, Cassidy, you’re the most likely candidate for blabbermouth,” I tell her. I can’t see her face, but I assume it’s probably a funny sight right about now, even in the dim hours before dawn. She kicks the back of my chair with what I assume is as much force as she can muster, which probably isn’t much more than what Ron could have done. 

“No one’s spilling the beans, and no one’s getting caught, alright? Let’s just focus on getting Potter,” Jo says, a little roughly. She’s tired- we all are. Fred and Ron and I left the Burrow not long after sunset to go pick up the girls, and then began the journey to Harry’s place. No one’s actually done much talking during all of this time so far, but no one’s slept either- least as far as I can tell. 

“Oh yeah, Mrs. Weasley surely won’t notice three new people at her breakfast table in the morning,” Cassidy replies sarcastically. 

“It already is morning,” Fred says, “and we’re all tired- how much longer, Ron?” 

“Another few miles- we have to move fast once we get there- the way Harry describes his aunt and uncle, I think I’d rather be living with trolls. You didn’t see the one in the Dungeons last Halloween, but bloody hell, I’m really saying something when I say I’d rather be raised by trolls,” Ron tells us. 

I turn my neck and make eye contact with Jo- she smiles conspiratorially, and I notice Fred has the same look on his face. I can’t see Cassidy but I assume she’s pouting, if she’s paying attention at all. We all remember our run in with the troll. It was a surprise to Fred and I when Ron let slip the adventures he’d been on over the course of last year with Harry and a girl named Hermione. They’d run into the troll in the girl’s bathroom when it attacked Hermione- I felt a little guilty hearing she got attacked, knowing it was technically us who led the troll there. But besides the troll the trio had met a three headed dog, played life sized Wizard’s Chess, and apparently Harry fought the Dark Lord. We were a little skeptical that the Dark Lord resurrected after like ten years of, well, being dead, to come to Hogwarts and get killed by Harry all over again, but the story checked out when Dumbledore announced Quirrel was gone again. Apparently he was hosting the dark Lord underneath that ridiculous turban he always wore. Fred and I had nearly died when we realized that over Christmas Holiday we had at one point charmed some snowballs to follow Quirrel around and hit him on the back of that turban. So if Ron’s been telling the truth, Fred and I had technically fought and defeated the Dark Lord in a magical snowball fight.

Fred swerves the car around and we all get flung around as we pull up to the window of what I can only assume is the house the great Harry Potter is staying in. From the outside it doesn’t look like anything to complain about- pretty big, well kept, nice in every way I can see…except one little flaw: bars on the windows. Not all the windows, just the one we flew up to. Just on Harry’s room. Fred leans out the window of the car and raps on the bars a few times with his fingers. After a minute the curtains are drawn back, and a little beaming face pops out. We all smile and make our hellos, and Ron climbs up as far as he can to explain that he’s there to rescue Harry. I shove him back into his place while Harry prepares his things to leave for the year. A few minutes later we’re all ready to go, except for the problem of the bars. Harry may be thin, but he can’t actually climb through them. 

“Just have him come out onto the lawn,” Cassidy suggests, but Harry explains that his door is locked, and if we hadn’t come his family would not have let him come to Hogwarts at all this year. Jo makes a little gasp and pulls a cable out of her knapsack. We all stare for a moment, but Fred eventually just shrugs and hooks the cable onto the bars and the back of the car, revs the engine, and we rip the bars right off of the house. Harry tries to climb in, but yelling erupts from the house, and a fat hand grips the boy by the ankle- his uncle, trying to pull him back into the house. Everyone is screaming and grunting, when Cassidy leans onto her belly, hanging out of the car, and bites the pudgy wrist of Harry’s uncle. He wails and releases Harry, and Fred floors it. Cassidy is shrieking a bit as we go, trying to get her top half and Harry’s bottom half safely into the car. It does happen, and everyone sits in silence for a good five minutes.

“You…bit him,” Harry finally says, deadpan. Cassidy huffs, as if annoyed, and the rest of us erupt in laughter. After that there’s no tension. Ron and Harry are in their own little world talking and catching up, leaving Fred, the girls, and I to do the same. Eventually and none too surprisingly the conversation turns to Quidditch, and this year’s upcoming matches. Gryffindor won last year, the first time after a long era of Slytherin domination. I bring up the teams and tryouts and the usual stuff, but Jo gets real quiet. 

“You alright?” I ask her. Even Fred turns his head off the…sky…to see what’s the matter. It’s not like Jo to get quiet during Quidditch talk. 

“I’m fine…I guess I just don’t really wanna talk about Quidditch right now…” she whispers. The car stops suddenly, and everyone lies forward. I glare at Fred, thinking he stopped the car in shock, but I realize we’re home. He lowers us to the Burrow and we park the car, unload, and try to sneak into the house. 

Admittedly, Cassidy was correct in her prediction of the situation, although that was in no way helpful when Mum is screaming at the top of her lungs at me, Fred, and Ron about all of the laws we broke and a long list of things we risked, including life, limb, and expulsion. Jo, Cassidy, and Harry sat on the couch silently; Jo watching everything play out, Cassidy looking into her lap, and Harry looking around the house in awe. Eventually we calm Mum down, and she switches from scolding Mum to nurturing Mum, honing in not on any of her children, but mostly on Harry. Hearing about his plight at his uncle’s house had tugged on her heartstrings, and seeing just how scrawny a child he is probably sent her into overdrive. She called down the rest of the family and set places for everyone at the table and started to feed us all. Once we were all into the meal she finally came to her senses enough to ask me and Fred to properly introduce our friends. By properly, she probably meant she wanted a detailed life history. Knowing Jo, she’d get _a_ detailed life history; there just wouldn’t be any truth to it. Knowing Cassidy, she wouldn’t even get a proper full name.

“So loves, tell me all about yourselves- and tell me what kind of trouble the twins are getting into at school,” she asks them. Cassidy, who’s eyes haven’t left her lap since entering the Burrow, shyly turns her head to Jo, who looks at my mom smiling.

“No trouble at all, Mrs. Weasley. I’m Jolene, but call me Jo. I do Quidditch with George, I’m also a beater,” she says with a very un-Jo like composure.

“Beater, Jolene? Don’t hear about too many female beaters these days. Congratulations! Tell me, what do you think of Oliver Wood not that he’s captain?” My dad asks. And, returning to a more familiar version of Jo, she begins blushing uncontrollably, but for no apparent reason other than the question, which wasn’t really even about her.

“He’s- erm- he’s very good. But I really miss having you around, Charlie,” she replies, stumbling through the whole sentence. Cassidy turns her head again, this time in a bit of shock. Charlie laughs and makes a few comments, filling Jo in on his new job.

“But really, tell us about Oliver. Should I be sending him a strongly worded letter against driving the team into the ground with daily practices and outrageous drills?” Charlie asks Jo, and again she’s at a bit of a loss for words.

“Well, whatever he’s doing, it’s obviously working, right? I mean, Gryffindor beating out Slytherin for the first time in what, decades? Wood’s obviously doing something right,” Cassidy blurts out. All eyes go to her, and I notice she pales slightly, but not dramatically like the way Jo blushes.

“You’re Slytherin, aren’t you dear? With Fred?” my mom asks her. She gives half a nod before breaking herself out of her odd shyness.

“That’s right, ma’am. It’s a wonderful house, and you’ve got a wonderful boy in Fred- not to say your other boys aren’t fantastic, but I’m a little biased I guess,” she says with a small smile. She’s trying to be funny? Fred and I shared a look for a second before aiming our gazes at her, but she just looks back into her lap.

Fred and I fill in the gaps for the oddly quiet Jo and Cassidy, and the rest of the meal goes normally. We clean up, finish packing, and before we know we’re on our way to Diagon Alley and Hogwart’s Express. Cassidy recovers from her acute-onset introversion once we get to Diagon Alley. She never gives us a real explanation for her behavior, but we’re sort of too busy to care anyway. Jo, on the other hand, is getting weirder and weirder the closer we get to our departure time. We don’t exactly have much time or energy to confront her about, and Fred and I secretly decide to do it on the train, as soon as we get the chance. I assume Cassidy will be on board- she seemed to be as surprised as Fred and I. Something’s going on, and I’m far too curious and meddlesome not to find out what it is.


	2. Year 4-2 POV Jo

Cas is staring. Actually, they all are, but I’m really only worried about Cas. Her stare is the kind that is so used to me blushing that it only sees the reason behind the blushing, and today is definitely not the day for her to peek behind the curtain. I’ve been looking forward to this day all summer: the day we go back to Hogwarts; thing is, Hogwarts isn’t exactly what I’m so excited about. Today is the day I see Oliver again- the day I’m going to kiss Oliver. I know just how petty it sounds, and how unnervingly girlish and how very unlike me it is, but that’s how I feel. And Cas may be seconds away from ruining the whole thing. See- I never told Cas about Oliver. I never told anyone about our secret meeting after a final one-on-one practice on the Quidditch pitch. Never told her how we were just talking when I bumped his shoulder, and he bumped back, and I started laughing and he started laughing and then he went to kiss me. Of course, if I had told her the story, that’s where it would have ended. I probably wouldn’t have mentioned the fact that I turned away and probably scalded his hand from blushing so much. Cas does not and will never need to know that.

“What is it?” she whispers to me as we get on the train. At least she’s being relatively discreet. I think she can tell it’s something relatively seriously, at least in my mind. I shake my head and push through the streams of people trying to find spots on the train. I kick myself for not making more specific plans with Oliver- I’ve had nightmares about meeting in the Great Hall and him ignoring me, and even more nightmares about the same exact thing, only ending in a kiss. I didn’t think it was physically possible to blush in your sleep, but this summer proved me wrong.

Cas points over my shoulder to an empty train car, so we all file in- me, Cas, and the twins. They’ve been staring at me too, ever since I met their parents over breakfast. Apparently the fact that I can be an impressively mature teenager shocked them, almost as much as finding out that Cas is ridiculously shy around adults outside of the Hogwarts teaching staff. The twins and Cas start talking about something, but I don’t pay attention. I need to find a way to get away from them, or get them away from me, so I can find Oliver and we can have our moment. But is the train really the right place for this? I feel myself starting to sweat, torn between wanting to get the damn thing over with, and wanting to do it just right. Goddamn hormones. I’m not this girly, ever. …Except when it comes to Oliver. 

The trolley comes around and, in her usual fashion, Cas buys far too many sweets for the four of us to eat on the ride to school, but we try anyway. This kind of takes my mind off things, and I get sucking into the conversation. We’re talking about Harry Potter, and the awful family he’s been living with. 

“Can’t believe he hasn’t gone completely mental,” George says with a shake of his head. I can’t tell if he’s being completely genuine or just a little sarcastic- the kid apparently had some wild rule-breaking adventures last year with the twins’ younger brother and some girl Cas has a vendetta against. 

“Yeah, why do you hate her so much?” I blurt out when the girl comes up. Cas’s face gets all contorted with contempt, which is kind of funny.

“The girl’s a pretentious ass” she mutters, and Fred starts cracking up.

“What?” Cas challenges, and Fred holds up his hands.

“Just saying, I think you two are more alike than you’d ever admit,” he says with a wink, and Cas looks at him with a mixture of shock and rage. George and I share a confused glance, but neither of our friends care to elaborate. Finally George switches the conversation to something else- something about who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be, and I zone in and out. It’s my favorite class, and I am curious about who’s going to teach it since apparently the last guy was He Who Must Not Be Named. But when it comes down to it, I don’t care much who’s in the front of the room as long as the material is interesting, adventurous, and occasionally dangerous. 

“I heard Snape’s still trying for the position,” Fred says. This was the wrong thing to say- it sends Cas off on a tangent about how much she loves Potions class and how Professor Snape teaches and some other boring stuff. I can tell by the way everyone’s eyes glaze over that I’m not the only one who couldn’t care less. The rest of us hate Snape- well, I don’t actually know about Fred, being Slytherin and all, but George definitely hates him too. He’s a tight ass who assigns projects that are way too hard, especially when I can’t cheat off of Cas. Luckily Fred jumps on Cas’s toes as soon as she takes a breath, and flips the conversation 180 degrees to Quidditch. This shuts Cas up on the spot, but I notice she’s not completely tuned out…she’s…paying attention? I’m about to make a comment when George brings up Oliver. Just hearing his name and I flush like no one’s business.  

“What’s wrong, Jo? You train sick?” George asks me. I mentally sigh with relief, knowing they haven’t secretly figured out my secret. I shake my head and say it’s nothing, but in reality I do get hit hard with a wave of nausea- anticipation. It’s the only thing I can think of now, and unless the train somehow defies magical laws and goes off the rails, I’m either going to burst or spill the beans. 

“I think we should change into our robes,” I blurt out. My three companions look at me with a mixture of curiosity and concern, but Cas slowly nods her head and goes to get up. I let all of them go and follow a few steps behind, in no way planning to go change. I look inside every car we pass with growing anxiety and a hint of despair as I don’t recognize any of the passengers as the one person I need to see.

And then I see him, and he looks up and sees me. I feel myself stop, and a smile spread across my face. He beams at me and excuses himself from his conversation, and I make a gesture with my head telling him to follow me. I double back to the train car I know is now empty, and then I wait. And wait. And wait. I know it’s barely a few seconds, but I swear I’m waiting an hour. And then I feel him grab my braid and give it a playful tug, and I turn around and look up at him. It’s like time is a rubber band- was stretched out and slow a second ago, but when he tugged my hair it snapped, and now he’s grabbing my shoulders and leaning down into me and we’re kissing- we’re kissing! He tastes like salted caramel and I can’t get enough. Then he pulls back, and I gasp. 

“Hey, ferret,” he says with a little laugh, “Sorry- guess I didn’t really give you a chance to turn away this time,” 

“No problem,” I say. I nearly bite my tongue off for sounding so stupid, but it’s irrelevant because at that moment I see past Oliver’s shoulder to three faces: my three companions who I thought would still be changing. I thought wrong. Cas throws the sliding door open and Oliver turns around with a jerk. Oliver is a little taken aback by the blank stares, so he turns to me and tells me he’ll see me later, tousling my hair. He slips out and the others come in, plopping down and just staring at me.  

“That was…Oliver?” Fred finally asks. I nod with a stupid grin, and Fred starts laughing. George snaps out of his shock and hits Fred hard on the arm. 

“What the hell, Jo? Why- did he- are you?” George stammers. 

“He kissed me, George. We’re dating now. Get used to it,” I say, slightly annoyed but mostly proud of myself. For the second time today I’m coming across as the most mature of the four of us. Of course, the twins don’t really see it that way. George goes off on me about how stupid I am, and about how I’m too young to be dating, especially someone as old as Oliver. Fred, once he catches his breath from laughing so hard, eventually does agree with his brother. And then I’m forced to sit there getting verbally assaulted. I wasn’t expecting a party in my honor when they found out, but I wasn’t exactly expecting this either. 

“Tell her, Cassidy! Tell her how stupid she’s being! How Oliver is way too old, and not even her type and how she’s just being a bloody idiot!” George commands. And then there’s silence, and I realize that Cas hasn’t actually said anything yet, which surprises me. In all of my nightmares she was ready to murder me for this. Oliver too, but my life was always in danger, and right now she doesn’t even look mad. 

“Why should I? It’s her life, and I mean- she’s not too young-“ Cas begins to mutter. 

“What?!” George explodes, “Are you- are you defending her?” 

“Maybe I am,” she bites back. And then there’s a change in the air. Both of the twins change the way they’re facing- from looking at me, to looking at her.

“Look at you, Cas,” Fred laughs, “Never thought you’d stoop so low. Supporting such…moronic behavior?” He’s mocking her- taunting her. She pales and is immediately on the defensive.

“I’m not- this isn’t-“ she tries, but now it’s two on one. 

“By god, Fred, I think we’ve gotten to her- we’ve corrupted the uncorruptaable!” George proclaims, and the twins share a high five and more laughter. Cas, on the other hand, is growing more and more confused and defensive. 

“You haven’t corrupted-“

“Don’t deny it! You’re one of us, whether you like it or not. You try to pass off as so mature, but you’re just as bad as-“ Fred teases

“What are you- we’re talking about Jo! She’s the one being stupid!” Cas tries, but I’m comfortably sunken into my seat, enjoying how the tables have turned.

“Not so fast there, Cas! This is about you now! How you’re ever so…” The taunting and mocking goes on, the boys getting more bold and flamboyant, and Cas growing increasingly more distraught for the remainder of the train ride. I’m left out of the conversation, but I’m more than comfortable with that. I have a lot to think about now; I’m not a single woman any more.


	3. Year 4-3 POV Fred

For three years I've been trying and failing to get used to being a bit of an outcast in my family- the only Slytherin. My last little bit of hope died earlier this year when Ginny was sorted into Gryffindor- but that's not quite true…I lost hope last year with Ron. I've known from the get-go Ginny would be Gryffindor. And don't get me wrong- I love Slytherin. I love the unquestioning loyalty, the cold honesty; I love having Cas with me, and being a beater on the Quidditch team. But at the end of the day, I haven't been able to get over the fact that I'm more or less alone. Coming from a big family, a Gryffindor dynasty so to speak, not even Cas can fill the hole I feel being alone.

"You gotta talk about it," Cas whispers. I turn my head and look at her- she's so much shorter than I remember- I have to physically look down to look her in the eyes. And right now, her eyes are big and wet with concern. I look away before she can convince me to answer. Now isn't the time anyway- I look up to Lockhart and Snape, who are standing on a giant risen platform. The dueling club meeting is beginning.

"Don't ignore me!" she hisses.

"What's the matter?" George asks from the other side of Cas. I shake my head and make a comment about how short Cas is. George laughs, but Cas doesn't find it quite so amusing. She shuts up for a little bit, and we all pay attention to our instructors. They're giving a reintroduction to Dueling Club- a place where we can learn to defend ourselves. I don't know why Snape's here, but I get the other guy- Lockhart. He's our new instructor for Defense against the Dark Arts. Problem is, he seems like a total tool. He's some big time author and completely self obsessed. The majority of the girls in the school love him, but the rest of us can't stand him- luckily for me Cas finds him unbearable too. I don't know about Jo- things have been strained with her all this year, ever since the train ride…

"Talk to me, you bloody idiot," Cas whispers again, more forcefully this time, but I ignore her. Apparently she doesn't get the hint, because she starts stomping on my foot repeatedly and with growing force. It doesn't hurt- she's about as heavy as a stuffed animal- but it is annoying.

"Quit it!" I hiss down at her.

"No! Four years, Fred Weasley- four years I've waited for you to open up to me about being the only one of your family in Slytherin. I've been damned patient. And now this? It's time you talk to someone, and I know you haven't told George yet, so-" I elbow her, thinking it will hit her in the side, but as short as she is it hits her in the arm, and she yelps. A demonstration is going on up on the platform though, so no one notices.

"What do you want me to say?" I ask desperately. She just glares up at me, rubbing her shoulder resentfully. I know what she wants me to say. She knows I know. I sigh.

"I understood it, okay?" I try. It's close enough to what she wants, right? Wrong. The glare intensifies.

"Dammit, Cas. Fine. I'm a parslemouth okay? I can understand snakes," I breathe vehemently, not wanting anyone but her to hear. Her eyes soften after I say it, and her arm drops. She kind of leans into me, her head up against my shoulder. And in an inexplicable way, it's comforting. I got it off my chest. I can speak to snakes. At the last dueling club meeting some things went awry between Harry Potter and a Slytherin twerp Cas has a love/hate thing with- Malfoy, and all of the sudden Harry was up on the dueling platform talking to a snake in some guttural language. Everyone was shocked…but me. I don't know how, but I sort of understood what Harry was trying to say to the snake- not clearly, but I got the gist. When Cas made it clear it was just me, I kept my mouth shut, and she's been pestering me ever since. A Parsletongue. It's not a good thing to be, but some people say it's a pureblood thing. And admittedly, I am pureblood.

Snape keeps demonstrating some spells and Cas stops leaning on me, trying to get a better view. She doesn't need one, we both know- she's the most proficient spellcaster our year. She probably knows as much about dueling as any seventh year, and she might be able to beat them too. What she lacks in physical stature she more than makes up for in magical power. She whispers something to George that I can't hear and he laughs, making a motion to his other side as if to pass along the joke- and stops abruptly. He was reaching for Jo I think, but she's not here. She doesn't spend too much time with us anymore, not now that she's got a boyfriend in Gryffindor Keeper Oliver Wood. And it's none of my business, but I hate her for it just a little bit, for the worst possible reason: now that she's gone, George is getting closer to Cas. He spends more time with us when it would normally just be me and Cas; he passes notes to her in Slytherin/Gryffindor classes. Last year Lee let slip that George might have wanted to make a move on her, and he denied it, but now that Jo's spoken for…

"Alright, volunteers?" Lockart's voice booms out, getting everyone's attention. A couple of giddy young girls' hands shoot up, but Lockhart overlooks them.

"How about you two, there- Zocchi, Wood? A little friendly competition between teammates should prove interesting, eh?" I look over at George- he's not happy. Cas, on the other hand, is trying to hide a smirk.

"What did you do?" I ask her. Now she doesn't try to hide her amusement, but shakes her head and nods at the platform, where the happy couple is getting set to duel.

"Now, Miss Jolene, Mister Wood is older than you, but I think a bright young witch like you can take him- just remember everything you've learned from me- the best teacher you could ask for," Lockhart instructs in a booming voice. A couple of girls swoon, a couple of boys groan, and Jo blushes. I'm about to ask Cas what's going on , but the duel starts.

It starts off normal enough- a couple of stunning spells, a basic deflect here and there. But then Wood does something odd- he does a spell that sort of just tugs on Jo's ponytail; she laughs, and he winks. Then it just gets weird…

"I…are they flirting?" I ask Cas, but she's too shocked to respond. The two keep going, only half-dueling, but after Oliver sends a gust of wind to blow up Jo's robes, Cas starts faux-retching, and Snape calls off the duel.

"How about some people who will take this assignment seriously," Snape growls, "Walker! Mathers! Up here, now!" I look down at Cas, who's shocked for a second, but then she pushes her way through the crowd to climb up onto the platform.

"Mathers?" George asks me in shock. Miles Mathers- Slytherin Quidditch Captain and Keeper. In essence, a Slytherin version of Oliver Wood. He's tall, olive-skinned with shoulder length, slick brown hair, and a stubbly chin. He's known as the toughest kid his year; rough, not a rule follower, no mercy, no pity. I'm not sure even Cas stands a chance.

"Let's just say, someone is about to die up there," is all I can get out.

They bow, neither taking their eyes off the other, and without missing a beat they skip right past trying to disarm each other and go to stun. Everyone is gasping and flinching- someone's going to get hurt. I've never seen Cas so focused or so determined- she wants to win. Miles lands the first blow, catching Cas on the shoulder I had already hit, and I see her face contort with pain. Lockhart goes to stop them, but Snape holds him back. Cas sends a spell I've never seen before- creating a cloud of green smoke around Miles, and then she rapid fires spells into the cloud. The smoke clears, and Miles is suspended by his ankles, dangling a few feet above the platform- but he's not done. It looks like he can't move his arms, but he doesn't need them. He mouths something and Cas gets blown off her feet. Miles falls to the ground, the spell broken, and they both scramble to their feet. It's like watching a dance- lunging, dodging, spinning, and casting spells all the while. Finally Miles psyches Cas out and lands a disarming spell- her wand goes flying and he catches it with a smirk. I've never seen so much contempt and rage in such a small person as Cas in this moment. Snape calls the end of the duel and Miles and Cas shake hands. They move to go back to their spots in the crowd, but Snape grabs Cas by the shoulder.

"You're not done until you're victorious, Walker. Another volunteer? How about someone her year? Weasley- no, the Gryffindor, George. Get up here," Snape orders. We had both almost lunged to get up there with Cas, not for the sake of battling her but because she looks beat up pretty bad. I have to stop as George goes up, but before he gets the chance to make sure she's okay, Cas backs up to her end of the platform and bows. George hesitantly follows suit. She's in her zone, and that may not be a good thing for my brother.

They begin. Cas is tired, but makes the first move anyway- a jinx that simply causes George to trip and fall to his knees. She follows up with a disarming spell, but George rolls out of the way and sends a counter that hits her in her injured arm. I nearly scream at him, but then I see something- a light in both their eyes. Cas smiles this menacing smile, bearing her teeth like a wolf, and George smiles back. He gave her her second wind. And then things heat up- literally. After a few stunning spells are casted and deflected, Cas throws her arm as if she's holding a whip, and a stream of fire shoots from her wand, striking at George's feet. Everyone screams, but George, shocked but quick on his feet, sends a stream of water at Cas. He had a little more leeway to hit his mark without risk of murdering her, and she gets soaked. George is laughing now, knowing how much Cas despises water and getting wet. He doesn't get to laugh for long- Cas sticks her arm straight out to the side, and everyone's expecting another fireball or something, but instead a candlestick floating around the wall comes shooting forward and hits George in the gut. He falls to his knees again, and Cas goes to disarm him once and for all. But George knew he was beat, so he waved his wand one last time, and a thundercloud opened above Cas's head and started downpouring. She shrieked in surprise and didn't catch George's wand as it came flying at her. Nevertheless, Snape calls the duel: Cas is victorious, and can leave the podium. Twenty points to Slytherin. Also, twenty points from Slytherin for her dangerous stunts and rule breaking. So we broke even.

Cas is still getting rained on, so before coming back into the crowd she goes ever to George to shake his hand, then pulls him into a very wet but relatively genuine hug. Everyone claps, and Snape waves his wand, stopping the rain, sending the candlestick back to its place, and cleaning up the water and scorch marks on the dueling platform. The meeting is over, but everyone is still clapping and laughing and taking. I look at George and Cas coming back towards me, no longer hugging, but I notice someone behind them- Miles Mathers. He looks like he's giving Cas a death stare, and my stomach drops, worrying if she's set of a dangerous chain of events.


	4. Year 4-4 POV Cas

Lee is in commentator’s heaven. The first match of the season is always the biggest for multiple reasons- first off, it’s the first of the season; it’s also Slytherin against Gryffindor, the biggest rivalry in the school; and now Lee has a viable excuse for making as many inappropriate sexual remarks as he wants, because two Gryffindor players made absolute fools of themselves flirting during a dueling club meeting. One of those two players was, of course, Jo; the other, her newly beloved, Oliver Wood. I wretch just thinking about it. Of course, I can’t say much about looking ridiculous for a number of reasons including the fact that Lee and I look like the Christmas kids wrapped up in our House colors crammed in the commentator’s box together even though it’s only November; also, I may have been a little too passionate during my own duels at the meeting…I’m not going to go there right now. Instead I focus on the match.                        

I have to say, for once, I’m not completely sure I want Slytherin to absolutely annihilate Gryffindor- I don’t know much about Quidditch, but last time I checked, you’re supposed to get a spot on the team because you’re talented, not because you buy the entire team state of the art brooms. However, the team captain, Miles Mathers, obviously disagrees with this logic, because I’m currently watching the Malfoy boy whizzing around the pitch as Slytherin Seeker, while everyone else, including Fred, whizzes around on brand new brooms. I don’t know how Fred feels about the whole thing- he’s had it rough ever since he got sorted into Slytherin, but recently things just keep getting harder- his sister was sorted into Gryffindor this year, confirming he’s the only Slytherin in the family; he also recently came to the realization that he may or may not be able to speak to snakes. I mean- he said it wasn’t clear, and that could either be truth or just fear and prejudice talking, but I think he might just have the gene in him. I’d kill to have it, which is a relatively unpopular opinion, but talking to snakes? That would be a cool party trick.

“Aaand- The shot is blocked by Wood! Yes! To Pollick- ooh! Not only does Zocchi have the Keeper’s heart- she also has the Quaffle! GO GO GO!” Lee screams into the mic. I take the liberty of hitting him, saving McGonagall the effort. He laughs me off and keeps the commentating and the sexual harassment of the players coming. I change my focus from Slytherin to Gryffindor for just one second, and I almost regret it immediately. It’s not hard to find George, between the orange hair and the giant bat he’s waving around, but it’s even easier to see Lee’s last comment made him miss a beat, setting off a series of events culminating in Slytherin scoring again. Wood clears it, screaming at George and everyone else about keeping their heads in the game. He’s so angry he can still be heard over all of Lee’s remarks. So now Gryffindor is on the offensive, and they’re moving fast. My eyes involuntarily flick to the goalposts; to Mathers. I still have a huge bruise from where he stunned me on the arm, not to mention plenty other cuts, scratches, and bumps from our not so little encounter. He really didn’t show me any mercy. Good. I didn’t want his mercy. I stick my tongue out at him, even though I know he can’t see me.

Fred and George haven’t left my side since the duel, and Fred keeps telling me to watch out- apparently he thinks Mathers has it in for me. That he was glaring or something when me and George had finished our duel and George was helping me back towards Fred. I told them both they were being paranoid idiots, which is ironic considering they usually say that about me, but my stomach dropped when they first told me they noticed Mathers noticing me. I mean, I got lucky in our duel that it was relatively relegated by Snape and Lockhart, but I can’t imagine taking him on outside of that setting, and if Fred and George are as stupid as I know they are, they’ll say something or do something to piss him off. I really don’t need that right now. What I need is to get Jo away from Oliver and back with George- well, I guess I can’t say ‘back’, considering they’ve never technically been a thing. George is messing everything up- we’ve been getting closer and I know for a fact it’s messing with Fred, but it’s also psyching me out. If I didn’t know better I’d think he was into me, but I do know better. I think. Damn both of them- all of them, in fact. Friends are stupid. Lee is the best I’ve got, and we’re still on thin ice after my little incident last year. We haven’t quite cleared it up yet, but he’s back to being chill around me, which I think is a pretty good sign. He’s the last string of hope I’ve got in the benefits of friendship.

A Gryffindor chaser is going in for a goal, so Fred rightfully sends a bludger his way; George is prepared for it and in a moment of the sheerest and most painful stupidity, he deflects the bludger…

…at Miles…

It nails him in the side and he slams into the goalpost with a horrible noise- a mixture of bones cracking and his breath leaving his lungs. I can’t believe it- he didn’t- he can’t. I can’t look- no, I can’t look away. I stop myself from jumping, but I can’t help but gasp his name.

“Miles!”

Lee turns at me, shocked for half a second, but this actually needs to be reported- Miles regained control of his broom and is waving people off- he’s going to keep playing. It’s a stupid decision, but he’s the best keeper we’ve got. The match continues but it’s only after Gryffindor scores again that Lee regains that edgy humor of his.

“And Mathers lets another one by! He can’t catch the Quaffle, but seems to have caught the heart of my good friend Cas here. He better step up his game if he wants to hold her interest- or that ass- anytime soon.”

He did not. I’m frozen in my seat, can’t even turn to look at Lee, let alone slap him silly. It’s official- no more friends. Never again.

“What’s the matter, Cas?” Lee whispers to me, “Look- it was mean to be funny- the crowd loved-” I hold up a hand and he stops. I bite my lip in anger but say nothing. He just laughs, and I’m about to find it in me to punch him when he nearly chokes trying to make an announcement-

“That bludger- it’s dogging Harry Potter! Rogue bludger!” He’s not lying- a bludger is chasing Harry, as if it’s got some mission to bring him down. And then it does- Harry’s rolling in the dirt and the thing is trying to slam down on him. The ref intervenes and there’s a lot of hustle and bustle on the pitch. Thing is- Harry did the unthinkable two years in a row- he caught the bloody snitch. Sacrificed his body for the victory. The match is technically over- Gryffindor won, again. The staff is clearing the roaring crowd out of the stadium as fast as possible while a few Professors go to Harry’s aid. The Gryffindor players are all descending and huddling around their fallen teammate, and the Slytherin players are retreating out of the stadium slowly in defeat. All but Mathers.

Lee jumps out of the box to go see Harry- they’ve gotten friendly in the past year, and I’m left alone. Miles flies over and hovers a few feet away from me, glaring down. I lock eyes with him, and he mouths something. I gasp as I feel all of my muscles contract- I’m paralyzed and getting hung upside down magically.

“How the tables have turned, Miss Walker,” he says with a bestial smirk. My heart is pounding, which is made worse by all of the blood rushing to my head. I try to move, but I can’t. My wand is tucked away and I can’t get to it, and I’m nowhere near ready to try casting spells without it. I’m trapped.

“That was quite a rude remark that commentator made, care to explain?” He asks.

“I’d shake my head, but apparently I’m immobile,” I snap.

“Not so fun when you’re the one upside down, is it? Let’s see what we can do about that,” he whispers the last part with a glint in his eyes, and I brace myself as best I can. He floats in close to me as graceful as anything, even with a broken rib, and kisses me softly; biting my lip just a little bit before he pulls back.

“Guess the secret’s out,” my boyfriend whispers in my ear before letting me down.


	5. Year 4-5 POV Cas

Hogwarts really knows how to celebrate the Holidays- the entire castle is in full Christmas swing- from knights with Santa hats to giant trees, and even Peeves is in the spirit; throwing red and green stink bombs into classrooms and cackling out perverted versions of classic carols. And I don’t know about the older years, but fourth years know how to celebrate too- we’ve somehow coordinated a party for everyone our year in a room usually dedicated to study. Now that the term is technically over and the majority of students will be going home in the next couple of days, no one really needs to study anything. And despite all of this, I’m not feeling fully cheery or merry or anything of the sort. Here I am at a party, yet I have not one of my closest friends by my side- granted, I only have four of them. Problem is, three are mad at me, and I’m mad at the fourth. I’m not here alone- I have plenty of friends from various classes and activities, but they’re not my best friends.

 The somewhat condensed version of the series of events that led to this situation is as follows:

  * Last year Professor Snape caught me succeeding in a very difficult potion without authorization or supervision. He called me back a week later without giving me a reason, and upon my return I was offered a sort of apprenticeship. I have since studied advanced Potions under him on a weekly basis, in addition to my regular fourth year class, and was given the task of tutoring upperclassmen.
  * My first pupil, so to speak, was a fifth year by the name of Miles Mathers; a Quidditch expert but lacking in Potions skills. I knew immediately this was Snape’s way of humiliating the kid, who took his frustration out on me for the first couple of sessions with verbal abuse and threats of bodily harm. I did not take this well, and may or may not have drugged him before a Quidditch practice, causing hallucinations and a visit to the Infirmary. I met him there with the antidote, and somewhat surprisingly earned his respect. 
  * From then on the threats subsided, but the verbal abuse became a two way street. His grades went up and the need for a tutor went away after a month or so. And then, my first session with a new pupil I was suppose to humiliate for Snape, he showed up. He waited through the entire session, and at the end asked me to make him something to teach an enemy of his a lesson. I refused, so he offered an exchange- the potion for a day in Hogsmede carte blanche. I took the offer then didn’t deliver on the potion. I thought it was funny, he didn’t. He then began to terrorize my new pupil. I did not find this funny, but he did. I finally gave him the potion, and in return he promised to leave my pupil alone. 
  * Our next session went well, but as I left at its conclusion, I was met once again by Mathers. He asked for another day at Hogsmede, and I told him I wasn’t making any more deals. He said he knew, and then we were dating, just like that.



Very boring, nothing to make a big deal out of, right? Well, we were cautious anyway- neither of us wanted to be caught with the other; him because I am so much younger, me because he plays Quidditch and I have a façade to maintain about hating such things. Well, he taught me to appreciate the sport and it backfired when Lee noticed all of the attention I was paying, especially to Miles’s keeping skills. And, with an ill-timed and incredibly inappropriate comment, Lee unknowingly outted us to the entire school. We started dating last April, so it’s been awhile now, and Miles was perfectly fine going public. We’re not like Jo and Oliver- all about the PDA. We hang out when we can, and we do our own thing when the other person is busy or needs space. We’re casual like that. Nevertheless Fred, Jo, and George all made quite a big deal out of the whole thing- Jo went ballistic on me, more angry that I kept it a secret than anything else. Fred is pissed just in general- he won’t talk to me, so I haven’t gotten a specific complaint; however, I assume it’s identical to the rant he gave Jo after finding out about Oliver. George is the only one I apologized to- I don’t know why I felt the need to, but I did. He looked…sad, when he found out. Betrayed in a more personal way than Jo did. But at the end of the day the specifics don’t matter, because none of them have spent voluntary time with me since finding out. Lee is a different story- I’m avoiding him. Call me petty, but I’m angry he exposed me, albeit accidently, through a public and very unnecessary sexual comment.

What makes matters worse is that I was doing really well with the whole social thing before the news got out- better than I’d ever done before. I suppose nothing really changed with Jo and I except I paid a little more attention when she talked about Quidditch, but she was starting to notice and in turn she was open to hearing about my interests and exploits she’d normally mock. With Fred; he was opening up to me more- we starting spending a night or two every week playing wizard chess alone and just venting to each other- he’d tell me about his family and how he feels about being the only Slytherin. George, I made so much ground with George- we had become friends in our own right, not just two people connected by mutual friends. We hung out on our own, had little private jokes and stories, and I had come to accept that I did officially and genuinely like him. I thought he felt the same. Even Lee- I opened up to him about what led me to more or less attack the Granger girl last year, and I told him about how I get angry sometimes and lose some control. He opened up and told me that he feels different- like no one understands him and he doesn’t fit in. We have our own little bond, two outcasts accepting each other.

Yet here I am, with friends but none of my best friends- I see Fred in his own group of people, mostly Sytherin but a couple of other kids I recognize as the Divination enthusiasts. George and Lee are with the other fourth year Gryffindor Quidditch players and some groupies, but Jo hasn’t arrived yet. I try to convince myself I don’t care- but it’s been a month, and I really really miss all of them. At the same time my pride is convincing me I can hold out longer than they can. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. I hear a couple of hoots from across the room, signally someone’s come in the room and we all look over- it’s Jo…with Oliver…

“This is a party for fourth years only,” “It’s a miracle we got all the Houses together; is she trying to ruin everything?” “They’re such a cute couple though,” “You mean disgusting, with all the flirting they do.” Whispers swirl around the room and around my own little group. Everyone is surprised, but me not so much- Jo is stupid, this was a stupid thing to do; it only makes sense that Jo did it. I bet she has a good reason- I just can’t for the life of me imagine what it is.  

I break off from the group to go get some hot chocolate from a table of snacks in a separate little room reserved for silent study, and I watch the hidden chaos erupt in all of the little conglomerations of people as they talk about the intrusion from an older student, and the traitor who brought him. I lean inside the doorway between the rooms and just watch; I also half-notice I’m standing under a strand of mistletoe. If Miles were here ,I wonder, would he kiss me? I usually hate such trite traditions, but maybe he could change my mind. My eyes flick to Jo and Oliver- maybe it’s good I hang here awhile and block the only visible excuse for them to start making out. Then my eyes flick to George- I feel like I’ve let him down. First I was so sure I could get him and Jo together, and then she got boyfriend; then George and I started to get pretty close, and I got a boyfriend. I can see he’s both annoyed and hurt by what Jo’s done here, bringing Oliver- she probably doesn’t even realize how much damage she’s doing.

Apparently I’m staring too long, and either he has a sixth sense or someone tips him off, because George looks over and we make eye contact. Before I can think twice I give him a small and semi-apologetic smile, and motion him over to me. I’m a little surprised, but he obliges, and he just stands there in front of me silently. I don’t know what to say, so after a second he pushes past me, a little roughly, and either gets a drink or a snack or something- I whip around and he's already standing right back behind me, facing me. I’m blocking his exit.

“I’m sorry, George. About Jo doing this…” I say, and he turns his head, avoiding making eye contact. Damn, he’s so much taller than me- I don’t know what to do until I notice the mistletoe again. I reach up and take him by the shoulders, and he almost stops me but I gently pull him down and kiss him on the cheek. He pulls back and looks at me.

“I really am sorry. Happy Christmas, George,” I whisper, letting his shoulders go. He looks back up, past me, and I think he’s about to push by when he does the unthinkable:

“Cas,” he breathes. He grabs my shoulders and leans into me hard and angry and kisses me fiercely. My eyes shut and my hands are on his chest and I don’t know why but I think I start kissing him back- I realize what’s happening and start trying to push him away but he holds me tight. My eyes open and I try to see him- his eyes are open as he continues to kiss me, not looking at me but past me- way past me, angry and focused.

“Oi! Get off of her!” I hear an angry shout, and George is pulled off me. Lee grabbed him and threw him to the ground. I try to catch my breath and look around- but then Lee doesn’t stop- he jumps on George and pins him down, shouting a string of insults, accusations, and profanities, and Fred comes running over from wherever and pulls Lee off Goerge. Then there’s just silence and a lot of staring. Goerge’s eyes haven’t left whatever he was staring at when he kissed me; I follow the gaze…It’s Jo. Jo and Oliver, but he doesn’t care about Wood- he’s looking at Jo, and by her reaction I realized what just happened. I don’t know what I expected- I feel tears welling up in my eyes and I turn and run before anyone can see me cry. I run out in to the corridors and make a beeline for the Slytherin Common Room.

“Cas! Cas stop!” Fred calls from behind me. I stumble and grab the wall to stop me from falling. I can’t see through all the tears, and I can’t catch my breath. Fred comes over and takes my arm, but I throw him off.

“He used me- he fucking used me to make her jealous…he called me Cas,” I sob, and I don’t wait for a response. I realize how much that little detail hurt- he called me ‘Cas’. He aways calls me ‘Cassidy’, just to annoy me. Even in our private little talks it’s always ‘Cassidy’. He called me Cas, as if we were friends. Like he was solidifying how much I mean to him. As if he actually cares about me. That betrayal might be worse than the kiss itself. I make it to the Common Room without further interruption, and I go straight for my bunk when I hear a voice.

“Cas?” It’s Miles. A Christmas miracle. I keep my back turned- I certainly don’t want him seeing me like this…but then I feel his arm on my shoulder, and he kind of puts a little pressure- not forcing me to turn around, but convincing me to. I look up at him through puffy red eyes, and I see he’s angry.

“What happened?” He asks- his voice is tight and restrained. I shake my head and lean into him. He wraps me in a hug and runs his fingers through my hair. He scoops me up in one swift motion and I gasp, worried about his ribs. He gives an amused smile and assures me the Infirmary took care of him, and that it’s my turn to be taken care of. He sits down in front of the fire and sets me by his side, and we just sit in silence for the rest of the night- no one dares come near us. We sit, and he strokes my hair, and I fall asleep still crying, but with my head on his shoulder.


	6. Year 4-6 Mult. POV

**Part 1: Jo and Oliver- POV Jo**

It’s that time of year again- Christmas is days away, and the castle is about to experience a mass exodus. I’m lucky enough to be one of those who will be fleeing for a few weeks take my Holiday at home. Oliver is staying at the castle, which I was sad about until I realized it doesn’t actually make a difference- either way we won’t be seeing each other. All of the Weasleys will be going home, so I’ll ride the train with Fred and George…if they’ll have me. There’s a fair chance they won’t after the Christmas party a few days ago- I’m still kicking myself for making such a stupid mistake. Actually there were a couple of stupid mistakes involved, all of which I still haven’t forgiven myself for. 

My first mistake was forgetting about the party. It was a word-of-mouth thing that had been building up all December: the fourth years from all the houses should get together before the holiday and have a party. Simple enough, except I’m really bad at planning ahead and remember dates and things. So the day comes around and I have no idea what day it is. Instead of getting ready for the party, me and Oliver decided to go out to the pitch and play some one on one before curfew, and it was fun. Then we went back to the castle and were walking to the common room when we passed a study room that was full of people partying it up- and I realized what was going on. I started panicking, thinking people would call me a bitch for forgetting, and Oliver started laughing and telling me to get over myself and just go in. I told him it was a bad idea and started to walk past the door, but Oliver took my hand and started dragging me in. Realizing there was no changing his mind, I ran ahead, so as to prevent people from realizing I needed him to convince me to go.

We walked in hand in hand, and this was another mistake. It was a fourth year party, and Oliver isn’t a fourth year. People started whispering immediately, and I knew it wasn’t anything good. I was about to push Oliver out the door as I looked for George, but when I saw him I knew he wasn’t about to welcome me into his conversation. I was getting that vibe from a lot of people, so it came down to two options: either both me and Oliver leave, or we both stay. My next mistake was choosing to stay. Less than five minutes later all hell broke loose- I saw it from across the room. George and Cas talking, when he looks up at me, we make eye contact, and without breaking it, he grabs Cas and starts making out with her. That’s when I made my final and biggest mistake- I saw Lee nearby. He and Cas are pretty close and I’ve suspected awhile that he has a crush on her- so I grabbed him and showed him what George was doing. Lee got mad and ran over; the fight broke out, and Cas ran out of the room. The party didn’t survive long after that…

“Hey there,” a voice from behind me calls. I’m sitting in the common room with my bag packed, ready to leave as soon as Percy or another prefect comes to escort us down. I turn around and it’s Oliver. I haven’t been avoiding him, but I haven’t really been talking to him much either. I give him a smile and he plops down next to me.

“You gotta talk to me some time, ferret,” he says with eyebrows raised. He’s concerned. I think he thinks I’m being bullied, after the reception we received. That’s not true…well, maybe half-true.

“Don’t call me ferret,” I tell him with faux-annoyance. He laughs and ruffles my hair.

“Seriously, Jo- you gotta talk to me. This is your last chance before Holiday.” I sigh, knowing he’s right. I just…dammit, I don’t want to tell him. It’s…embarrassing…it’s not something I want him to know.

“Fine, but you gotta promise to not be mad, okay?” he nods, suddenly serious. “So, that whole fiasco at the party- the stuff with George- he, well- he was trying to make me jealous. He doesn’t like that you and I are dating, and Cas is my best friend, so he started making out with her to make me mad,” I explain, not looking him in the eye until I finish.

“Did it- I mean, were you…jealous?” Oliver asks, and I suck my breath in real fast.

“No! I was angry- I knew it wasn’t- see, I couldn’t be-“ Oliver holds up a hand stopping me mid-sentence.

“That’s all I need to know. Just…I know you two are close, you and George. If things ever change- if you two ever want to be more than friends…just tell me, alright?”

I basically pounce on him and start kissing him- I’m relieved everything’s okay. I must have the best boyfriend ever- understanding, caring, concerned. He’s perfect, and when I take a breath I don’t even think before the words slip out: “That’ll never happen.”

* * *

 

**Part Two: George and Miles- POV George**

“That’ll never happen.” That’s what she said- I heard it myself. She’ll never want to be more than friends with me- and that’s not what I’m most angry about- I mean, it hurt like hell, but what made it worse is that she’s sitting in the middle of the common room making out with him and anyone around could hear her when she said it. There weren’t a lot of people around- I just happened to be passing by when I heard them and stopped to listen a second. Possibly the worst second of my life.

I’m storming through the castle, going toward the dungeons. I need to find Fred, talk to him. I need someone to talk this out with, and normally Cassidy would be my go-to with something about Jo, but I think I’ve burned that bridge for good. Stupid! How could I do something so cruel- we were getting to be such good friends, and I made her cry- I’ve never seen her cry before. Never seen anything get to her like that. I pass people left and right, but I don’t pay much attention- I’m on a mission. I’ll find Fred, talk this through with him, and maybe if- maybe if he knows where Cassidy is I can arrange to apologize to her. I should have done it that night, but I didn’t. And the past few days I’ve been sick with anger and guilt and I guess some part of me didn’t want to be forgiven. But it’s not about getting forgiven anymore- it’s about making sure she knows how much I regret hurting her the way I did. It’s about making sure she’s okay.

I turn a corner and walk right into someone. I look up, about to mutter an apology when I see who it is. Miles Mathers. Cassidy’s boyfriend. His eyes flare with recognition and he grabs me by the robes and pins me against the wall.

“Just the bastard I was looking for,” he growls. I struggle to get free but he’s got an iron grip.

“I never liked you, Weasley, but you’re worse than I thought. You know my Cas- she’s a good girl- smart, ambitious, powerful. The other night she came to common room crying her eyes out. Wouldn’t tell me why. I had to torture the story out of a couple of underclassmen- apparently you assaulted her at the party. You kissed her- _my_ Cas. That’s not okay,” he growls, throwing me to the ground. He kicks me against the walls and then kicks me again.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, how you act around her,” he barks as he continues kicking me. His foot connects with my ribs, my gut, my shoulders. Each blow is incredibl painful, and I gasp and groan.

“At dueling club, the way you _‘helped’_ her off the platform- wrapping your arms around her! You’re fucking wrong if you think you can keep this up. You leave her alone- if I see you trying to talk to her- even looking at her with those puppy dog eyes of yours- I. Will. End. You.” He times those last words with four merciless punches to the face. He pulls me up by the collar, turns me around, and pushes me back the way I came. I hear him walk away, and I try to take a step forward, but the pain is too much and I fall to my knees, coughing and spitting out some blood.

How can she be dating such an asshole? Does she even know he’s like this? Did she ask him to do this to me? No- no that’s not Cassidy’s way. She faces her own problems. She doesn’t hide behind others- especially not people like Mathers. I sit for a few minutes until I gather enough strength to get to my feet, and I make my way back to Gryffindor. I can talk to Fred later…Jo too. And I’m definitely going to talk to Cassidy on the train. She needs to know what happened. We need to get Cassidy away from that monster.

 

* * *

 

 

**Part 3: Fred and Lee- POV Lee**

We’ve been in silence ever since we sat down- well, we’ve been silent. The train is loud as hell, and all of the other train cars are full of people talking about their holiday plans. But not me and Fred- we don’t really know what to say to each other. At least, I don’t know what to say to him. I haven’t seen him since the fourth year Christmas party, and it’s not like we’ve ever really hung out just the two of us before. Usually we at least have George around, and more often Cas and Jo too. But George and I aren’t really on speaking terms, I’m too mad to speak to Jo, and I haven’t seen Cas about lately.

“So…how’s the Slytherin Quidditch team going?” I try. Quidditch is the only thing we really have in common besides our mutual friends. Fred was looking out the window, but hearing me he turns his head and attention back to reality.

“It’s good, I guess. I mean- we didn’t beat Gryffindor, but hey, other than that there’s nothing to complain about.” It’s not much, but it’s enough. We talk about Quidditch for a little bit, but then Fred sighs dramatically.

“Look- I think we gotta talk about what happened at the party,” he says, and I’m simultaneously relieved and petrified.

“Which part?” I mutter sarcastically, and Fred laughs grimly.

“Let’s start with the part where I had to lift you off of my brother. What got into you? I mean, I’ve never seen you like that before, and I was thinking maybe…are you into Cas?” I nearly laugh.

“No- no, nothing like that,” I tell him, and I see a hint of relief wash over his face. We both seem calmer now, and it comes to me that Fred and I aren’t actually that different.

“Look- not to pry, but…you see yourself as kind of misunderstood, don’t you?” I ask. Fred’s face contorts in surprise and confusion and maybe a little resentment, but after a second he gives a slight nod. That’s what I thought.

“Its just, I do too- and Cas, she understands me. Makes me feel comfortable and like I can be myself. And so I guess I got a little overprotective when I saw what George was doing, well- when Jo showed me, that is.” Fred looks surprised when I say that. I wouldn’t have even noticed George and Cas if Jo hadn’t pulled me out of a conversation and almost threw me at the two of them. Fred’s face goes a little dark after I explain, but we don’t talk about it anymore.

“What about you makes you feel like an outcast?” Fred asks after a little bit of silence. I just shrug, avoiding eye contact- I haven’t even told Cas yet, and I’m definitely not going to tell Fred. We both end up looking out the window for awhile until there’s a rap on the door to the traincar, and someone slides it open. I turn and see it’s Jo. She doesn’t look so good as she plops into the seat next to Fred. Smart girl- I’m still a little mad about what she did at the party. She was the catalyst for the hell that broke loose and ruined the party, her and Oliver. Fred doesn’t look particularly welcoming either, but he takes pity, probably because of how she looks.

“Jo,” he says with a nod. She looks pale, which is odd. Jo usually blushes, I’ve never seen her pale before. “You alright?” Fred asks, and Jo shakes her head.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, “Where’s Oliver? Or George? Cas?” It probably sounds like I’m trying to get rid of her, which is half-true. But I’m also a little curious.

“Oliver is staying at the castle…look- we gotta talk. It’s about George.”

“Where is he?” Fred asks, “He had said he’d sit with me on the trainride, but he never showed up.” Jo bites her tongue before answering.

“He’s umm- he’s in the medical car,” she says quietly, “I just saw him.” Fred and I nearly jump to our feet in surprise. We both ask what happened but Jo’s just sitting there looking like she’s gonna be sick. Then this look crosses Fred’s face as if he caught whatever is making Jo so upset.

“It wasn’t…Cas, was it?” he asks. Jo looks up wide-eyed.

“No! No, it wasn’t Cas. She’d never go that far…he’s hurt really bad.”

“Then what happened?” Fred demands.

“It was Mathers,” Jo whispers. Mathers? Miles Mathers? As in Cas’s boyfriend? No way in hell- actually…we’ve all heard rumors. Everyone knows he’s more than a bit of a bully, but sending George to the infirmary? That seems radical.

“He found out about the party from some kids- attacked George in the hallway this morning and told him never to talk to Cas again,” Jo elaborates. We’re in shock.

“You told Cas, right? Miles never comes home for Holiday- where is she? She needs to know!” Fred exclaims. Jo shakes her head.

“She’s gotta be here somewhere- I’ll ask who’s seen her. This isn’t something we can keep to ourselves,” I say, but Jo just turns her eyes to the ground.

“I tired that before I came here- I couldn’t find her,” She whispers.

“Well, we’ll try again. She’s been so excited to see her dad she wouldn’t shut up,” Fred says desperately. I can tell he feels guilty- I do too. Neither of us even thought to try and find her.

“She…she’s not here, guys. She stayed at the castle.” No wonder Jo looks so sick- we drove Cas to stay at the castle over Holiday? That’s a big deal- Cas loves her dad, talks about him a lot. Always looks forward to seeing him. That party must have really fucked her up.

“Wait,” Fred says with a look of horrified realization, “That means…”

“She’s got no idea what Mathers did to George…and she’s spending her break with him.” Jo finishes.

 

* * *

 

**Part 4: Cas and Miles- POV Cas**

I made the decision to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas after the party, when I was wrapped in Miles’s arms silently crying my eyes out in front of the fire. I told myself I didn’t want to go home, or even leave the common room. I definitely didn’t want to see Jo, Fred, or Lee; I especially didn’t want to see George. At the same time I also wanted to get some space away from everything and everyone, and I wanted to see my dad and my house again. So I spent the week packing and convincing myself that I had to go home. I didn’t leave the common room once, and when I saw Fred or thought he might be around, I fled to the girls’ dorms. And then last night the House was having our own Christmas party, and so I emerged from hiding to celebrate and wish everyone happy Christmas.

As soon as I came down the steps I saw Miles waiting for me; he pulled me by his side and I didn’t leave it for the whole party. I felt safer this way- people who knew what had happened didn’t dare look at me funny, and even Fred kept a bit of distance besides coming over to wish us both happy Christmas. He asked if I wanted to sit with him on the train ride home, but I pretended not to hear and moved on to a different group of people for conversation. It was a bitchy thing to do, but I knew he’d be sitting with George and I wasn’t about to go within fifty feet of him. So then Miles pulled me aside and asked if I was okay again- he’s crazy protective since we went public- and I said that I didn’t know what to feel about going home for the break. He said he was staying at the castle, and if I wanted to stay too, he’d keep me company. I thought about it and in the morning unpacked my things and sent a letter to my father. I was going to stay.

This morning everyone who was leaving left, and I just sat in the common room watching them go. I was strangely calming, and a little bit haunting. Strange things have been happening in the castle this year- people have been getting hurt. I think it’s all some stupid joke, but people are claiming that this thing called the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, and that some monster got out and is petrifying people. Ever since Harry demonstrated his abilities as a Parsletongue, people think he’s behind everything. I don’t know the kid that well, but I know he isn’t the type to do this shit. It’s curious though, how people really are getting hurt…

The common room door swings open and Miles enters. I pop up in my seat and he comes over to me.

“Where have you been?” I ask him, but he just gives me a funny look.

“Can’t stand my being away for even a few minutes?” he taunts, and I roll my eyes. I see he’s cradling his right hand, but when he sees me looking he covers it up. I’m curious, but I don’t pry. It’s probably nothing.

“So, what’re we going to do to keep you busy while the castle’s so near empty?” he asks, subtly trying to change my focus. I know what he’s doing, but I let him. “I’m guessing one-on-one quidditch in the snow is out of the question?” he teases, and I give him a look of mock-disdain.

“I was just going to work on my studies. I can tell Snape I’ve stayed, and he might have some kids who need tutoring,” I say. Miles nods quietly, and I ask him his plans. He says he’ll probably sleep a lot, practice quidditch, and do whatever he can to give me a great Christmas. I smile when he says that, and he pulls me closer to him and we spend the afternoon talking about nothing. Then we have dinner, and I tell him I’m going to see Snape. He says goodnight, since he’ll be crashing as soon as he physically can. So I go and talk to Snape, work out a schedule for the break when I’ll be tutoring and when I’ll have a lesson of my own. Then I go to the owlry to send some Christmas cards to friends and family. I send one to the entire Weasley family, thinking it only polite since I’ve met them all now, and a separate one to Fred. I think about sending one to George, but just the idea nearly brings me to tears, so I don’t.

By that time it’s pretty late, but I’m not tired, so I go to the library. I don’t know what I’m looking for, so I just wander the shelves looking at titles and authors. No one else is around, and a thought crosses my mind- now is as good a time as ever to look into the Chamber of Secrets, and the monster that is supposedly attacking people. I find some little snippets of information here and there, but nothing particularly useful. I realize it’s probably in the restricted section, as all the good books usually are. I smile to myself. Looks like I know where I’ll be spending my downtime over break.

I think for a second about inviting Miles to come with me, to help me. But I decide against it- he’s not exactly a book worm, and I think about how he was hiding his hand from me. I think it was bruised, maybe broken, and unless he was randomly punching walls, there’s really only one way you get that kind of injury. I stop myself before I can think about it too much- I have my demons, he has his. It’s one of the things that makes him so attractive; he’s got this darkness about him that people would normally judge, but he’s completely confident in it. He’s comfortable with who he is, and I want to be too. Still, I feel bad for the person Miles may or may not have...been fighting...


	7. Year 4-7 POV Cas

Where the hell is she? I’m in complete and utter panic mode at this point. It’s the first day back at classes; the first day back at Hogwarts for the majority of the school. I’m in Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Gilderoy Lockhart. This is one of those classes with both Gryffindor and Slytherin kids, so this is my first chance to see Cas since…well, it’s been a long time. All through break I kept sending her owls, asking if she was okay and telling her she had to get word back to me. I don’t know whether she never received them, or just didn’t open them, but all I got from her was a generic Christmas card. She can be so stubborn sometimes. But it’s more than just me being the best friend a girl could ask for- I’m seriously concerned. Before leaving on break I found out that Cas’s beast of a boyfriend beat the shit out of George in a weird mixture of revenge, intimidation, and possibly jealousy. We were going to fill Cas in on the trainride home, but at the last second she decided not to come home for the holidays. She’s been in the castle with Miles for weeks, and I don’t know if she’s alright, or if he’s hurt her.

The door behind us creaks as it slowly opens. Lockhart wasn’t quite teaching material yet- he spends the majority of every class telling stories about himself- but he looks up with the rest of the class to see who’s coming in. It’s Cas, and I literally sigh with relief- she looks alright- no bumps or bruises or cuts as far as I can see. I make eye contact with Fred and George, who have been pretty worried too. None of us have really been there for Cas lately, which explains the cold shoulder we all received over the break. Cas breezes in and some people are shocked- Cas is a total nerd in that she’s always on time with books and homework at the ready. She has this doe-eyed innocent look on her face when Lockhart asks why she’s late.

“I’m so sorry, Professor! It’s just that I was reading this-“ she pulls out a copy of Lockhart’s newest memoir- “and I was just so captivated that I lost track of time,” she coos, batting her eyelashes. I don’t know whether to laugh or vomit- Cas is a good student, but she’s hardly a kiss-ass, and I know for a fact that she hates Lockhart and his stupid books. Fred and George are making faces too, but Lockhart bought her little act hook, line, and sinker. He thanks Cas for her patronage, and starts reciting a tale of one of his numerous adventures while Cas looks for a seat. It took some arm twisting, but I made sure that the only open seat in the room was next to me. Fred fought me on this one, but I came out on top. George almost tried to challenge us, but we all knew that there was still a 75% chance Cas would rather leave the class than sit next to him. So Cas realizes she has to settle next to me, and she does as much. She doesn’t look at me, but just sits down and looks up to Lockhart. He looks back at her and gives her a wink as he keeps talking. I’m horrified. I look at her to see some sort of reaction, but she’s not doing anything. A wave of nausea washes over me, scared to accept that over the Holiday Cas was brainwashed to become one of those Lockhart loving bimbos.

“Cas! What’s wrong with you?” I hiss. She turns her head just slightly, as if to rebut, but decides against it. She opens her book and starts reading, so I know I need to take drastic measures. I step on her foot and refuse to let it go, no matter how hard she struggles, but she just stops struggling. She’s not even fighting me anymore.

“Cas, please, we need to talk. It’s actually legitimately important, and then you can go back to ignoring me. But you have to listen, please,” I whisper. Cas sighs dramatically and without looking away from her book she starts scribbling on a piece of parchment. She passes it over to me.

_What the hell do you want cant you see im busy?_

_Your reading a lockhart book thats hardly busy this is important_

_You’re_

_What?_

_‘you’re reading’ you are reading. Grammar._

_Cas this is serious_

_So is what im reading._

At this point I’m fed up and just grab the book from her. Lockhart’s most recent exploits. I need to see what’s ever so fascinating about a fully grown man spending the weekend in a forest with nothing but his wand and the clothes on his back. But one look and I know that’s not what this is. This is a textbook thing, like an encyclopedia. I look up at Cas, and she’s still avoiding eye contact; but this time it’s not about being stubborn, but about hiding a secret. I push the book back and grab the parchment.

_Why are you reading a textbook?_

_It’s an anthology_

_Why are you reading an anthology?_

_None of your goddamn business_

_Cas we need to talk_

_We’re in the middle of a very interesting class. You should pay attention you might learn something about how to be a complete wanker past the age of 35_

I have to choke back laughter, and even though she’s still not looking at me I can see that Cas is smiling at her own joke. At least I know she hasn’t joined the cult of idiots idolizing Lockhart.

_Seriously though_

_Okay what is so important?_

_Cas Miles hasn’t hurt you has he?_

“No?! Why the hell would you say that?” She hisses. I grab back the parchment.

_Look- he’s not a good guy ok? I think you should break up with him_

_No_

_Cas I’m being serious he’s a bad person_

_At least he didn’t use me to make his crush jealous._ Ouch. She’s not wrong.

_You need to talk to George._

_No I don’t_

_Mathers is bad news_

_Miles is good to me_

_And no one else_

_Im not breaking up with him_

_CAS HE WILL HURT YOU_

_Ill dump him when you dump oliver_

I can’t respond to this because the parchment is completely covered at this point. At least she’s talking to me- I can pick up the conversation after class. I’m not going to dump Oliver; he doesn’t beat up my friends or make threats and he doesn’t have a reputation as a bully.

“Put your hand up,” Cas whispers, and I look up and realize Lockhart just asked a question. A lot of people have their hands raised, so I put mine up. But then I realize Cas doesn’t have her hand up and I get suspicious. I pull my hand back down, but it’s too late.

“Now, now, Jolene- don’t be shy. Go on, tell me your favorite part of the book,” he says, grinning ridiculously. I feel myself blushes, and out of the corner of my eye I can see a smirk on Cas’s face. The bitch.

“Chapter seven,” she mutters under her breath. I don’t trust her, but I’m flying blind and knowing Cas, she probably has read the book in case he makes a pop quiz out of it.

“Chapter seven, I guess,” I say with a tinge of resentment and hesitation. A couple of girls giggle in the front row, and Lockhart…blushes?

“Ah! Well, not the most adventurous chapter in the novel, I suppose, but telling none the less. I’m glad to know you appreciate all aspects of the story, Jolene, and not just the guts and glory parts,” he says, regaining his confidence and composure. He then goes into some digression and I turn to Cas. She’s finally looking back at me.

“We’re even,” she says, pulling a book out of her bag and passing it to me. It’s the real copy of the book we’re discussing. I’m scared to look, but I have to know what hole I just dug for myself. I flip to chapter seven; it’s only a few pages and I get through them quickly, getting redder and redder as I read. It’s a chapter detailing how Lockhart broke up with his last girlfriend, and describing what he considered the ideal spouse. Fuck me. FuckmefuckmefuckmylifedammitCas. I look at her, ready to tear her throat out. She smiles knowingly, tilting her head a bit, exposing her jugular. She’s taunting me. I stomp on her foot as hard as I can and she winces. The rest of the class is spent with neither of us paying attention to the class; Cas reading her nerd book and me desperately trying to find an angle that makes what I just declared to the class not look like I just professed a crush on Lockhart.

Class ends and I’m unsuccessful. As we pack up to leave the twins come over to us. Cas stiffens when she realizes George is standing with us. I don’t blame her, but she’s got to get past it and realize that Mathers is the villain here, not George. We all walk out together, Cas a little faster than the rest of us- she’s trying to get away- but I grab her hood and stop her mid-step. I drag her to an empty bench in the hallway and she and I sit while the twins stand over us.

“Cas, you gotta listen to us. Miles-“ I start.

“-Miles and I are none of your business, so stop talking about him, okay?”

“Cas, please,” Fred whispers, “You gotta know what he’s done.”

“No! You wanna know what he did?” Cas bursts out, “He comforted me. He was a friend to me after I got hurt. He listened when I needed to talk, and sat with me in silence while I cried my fucking eyes out.” She’s glaring right at George. He completely healed over break, so she can’t see all the places Mathers kicked and hit him; all the bruises and cuts he had left. Cas jumps up to leave, and the twins part to let her go. I don’t give up so easily- I run after her.

“Cas- Cas, stop!” She does. “Look, I get you’re mad at George, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the fact,” I tell her.

“Oh, so I can’t ignore George, but you can?” She accuses. I don’t understand; don’t have a response.

“George has been in love with you since day one, you idiot! He cared about you even before you met Oliver. He’s been too shy to do anything about it, but I’ve been doing all I can. You say me and Miles aren’t meant to be- but you and Oliver aren’t either. You should’ve given George a chance a long time ago. It’s your fault he did what he did at the party- I don’t even blame him anymore. You flaunting your boyfriend in front of him- you stopped hanging out with him to make time for Oliver. You’ve been hurting him more than he could ever hurt me.”

She finishes her speech, but doesn’t storm off or anything. Wow…I don’t know if she’s right or not, but everything she’s said- the facts at least- they do sound right. I have been spending less time with George, more with Oliver. I mean- George and I are just friends, right? I’ve always seen it that way…maybe he hasn’t.

Cas speaks up again, “Look. I’m not mad anymore- not at George, not at you, not at Lee or Fred. What happened, happened. It’s behind us. But you and George, that’s still relevant,” she smiles mischievously, “And I’m not going to stop until the two of you grow the balls to give each other a fighting chance. I smile a bit; relieved by her saying she’s not mad anymore. And then I realize that she’s back to her old self- laying a challenge down. It looks like we’re going to get back to normal- pranks, schemes, jokes, and gambles. I smile back, and stick out a hand. She takes it and we shake. May the best witch win.


	8. Year 4-8 POV Jo

So far in our little war, it’s Cas:1, me:0. I thought it would be just a temporary setback, but twenty four hours after her little strike, I’m realizing she hit a lot harder than I ever thought. She’s good. Pure evil, but so damn good. Yesterday morning during class, she passed me this little orange hair ribbon- cute, right? Says she’s sorry she’s been so secretive and bitchy- her words- and says the ribbon is a peace offering. She got behind me and braided my hair and tied it up. Ribbons aren’t usually my style, but she was trying, and she admitted she was a bitch, and I can’t just ignore progress like that. So I spent the day with my hair up. A couple of friends asked me where I got the ribbon and I felt nice getting complimented like that. Might have even fell asleep with a smile on my face.

This morning I most certainly do not have a smile on my face. I got up early- it’s a quidditch day. We’re playing Hufflepuff, and I’ve been looking forward to playing another match for the longest time. So I get up early before everyone else and go straight to the bathrooms to shower and freshen up. I got out of the shower and toweled off and got my robes on and everything, which is when I went to dry my hair. It was orange. And I don’t mean like a crisp auburn fall leaf orange. My hair was Weasley orange. _IS_ Weasley orange. I did everything I could think- showered my hair out two more times, toweled it like crazy, and even took my wand to it. Nothing. I don’t know how she did it, but Cas dyed my hair orange.

I’ve had a winter cap on all morning, my hair piled up on top of my head so no one can see. I’ve been getting some looks, but I’ve managed to avoid all my close friends. I had breakfast alone and went after Cas immediately- I have to get to the pitch for a mandatory pre-game practice and motivational speech by Oliver. Damn…what’ll Oliver think? What can I tell him? That Cas has been trying to break us up and get me together with George? That I did this on purpose? Maybe I can say it was an accident; like a spell gone wrong? Hell, I won’t let it come to that. I’ll get Cas to fix it. But where the hell could she be? Not the owlry, or the Great Hall, or the potions lab. I’m about to get George and have him spill the beans about how to get into the Slytherin Common Room, when it hits me- the library. That nerd would totally be in the library on a Saturday. So I go check. There’s only one person in there, and not exactly someone I should be- or even want to be- talking to. 

“Hey there, Jolene!” Shouts Charlie. She’s a chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Later today there’s more than a fair chance I might be sending bludgers her way. With that in mind I nearly pretend I didn’t hear her and leave. But we’re in a library; an empty library; and she’s basically the nicest person in the school. 

“Hey, Charlie,” I reply with a small smile. She pats the chair next to the one she’s in, inviting me to sit. I put my hands up in protest.

“Sorry, really, but I’m just looking for someone,” I tell her, backing up slowly.

“Cassidy, right?” She asks. My jaw nearly drops. “Yeah, you just missed her- she said you might be around. Actually, she left a message: she said you’ll just have to wait until after the match. I don’t know what that really means, but I’m looking forward to the match, aren’t you?” I have no idea how to respond to that. After the match? Like hell I’m waiting until after the match. I can just image her smug little self running around the castle, not staying anywhere more than ten minutes, leaving dozens of people with the same message for me.

“What’s with the winter cap? I mean, I thought it was warming up- are we expecting another cold front?” Charlie asks. I shake my head and mutter something about a bad hair day. She laughs and waves goodbye, wishing me luck in the match. I leave the library with no real destination in mind. How does she do it? Charlie, I mean. She’s so friendly- and not in the suffocating, syrupy way, but the genuine nice person way. No one’s nice anymore- I mean, people are still nice, but everyone’s going around like they’ve got rain clouds hovering over them. And they’ve got good reason. People are being attacked. In Hogwarts. You always hear people say that this is the safest place in the world to be, and there are kids getting petrified on their way to class. The houses have divided- Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws all stick to themselves. It’s like no one trusts anyone anymore. And then there’s Charlie, who will spend her time talking to literally anyone who passes by- I swear she knows everyone’s name and is on everyone’s good side. People like her are what makes Hogwarts the best place on earth.

I find myself back at the Gryffindor common room, and as I pass the fat lady’s threshold, I come to face the rowdiest pep rally I could have imagined. I’m grabbed by both sides by random underclassmen and thrust into the middle of the common room with the rest of the team. I’m swept up into the excitement and forget my troubles for a little bit…until Oliver gets up and calls us all to the pitch. We leave the castle, and on our way over George asks me why I have this ridiculous hat on.

“Bad hair day,” I tell him in an admittedly pissy way. I mean, if I don’t know how to explain it to Oliver, how the hell am I gonna get George up to speed?

We get our Quidditch gear on and circle up, and Oliver begins one of his long-winded motivation talks. I’m only half paying attention, like most of the team- until he starts talking strategy, and he’s doling out specific roles and tips and his eyes land on me and sort of scrunch up- I hold my breath, fearing a comment or request to remove the hat, but Oliver’s in his zone, and he’s not going to stop for something so unrelated to Quiddtich. I thank the Quidditch gods for that one. Just like that, I get away with it. We take the pitch, and the match starts and we’re playing and it’s going great. We score some, they score some, Oliver makes a few great saves, Angelina makes a few amazing shots, and Lee makes more than a few biased comments. Cas isn’t in the commentator’s box like usual- when the play is slow or a Quaffle is being retrieved, I scour the stands to find her- there’s no way she’d miss this, right? I mean, whatever she did, it worked. She would die before missing the look of me flying around looking like a grown up version of Ginny, the twins’ little sister. Finally I see her- and it makes me sick. She’s deep in the throes of the Slytherin section of the stands, planted firmly next to Mathers. I shake the image from my mind and follow the bludgers, protecting my team. I end up by the goalposts for a front row seat of Oliver saving a particularly tricky shot by Charlie. He clears it to a chaser and I go to zip off, but I feel it. The hat comes off. Damn my boyfriend.

It’s our thing- whenever we’re near each other on the pitch, he tugs my braid or ponytail or whatever. It’s his playful way of saying…well, I don’t really know what something like that is specifically saying, but it’s what he does. Sometimes if I’m beneath him I’ll tug his Keeper’s robes, but that doesn’t happen as often. Well, today I don’t have a braid or ponytail, just a gold and red cap. He pulled it off. The full untamed orange mess is released to billow in the wind. 

“Well look at that! For those of us old enough to remember, it’s like a flashback to the era of two Wealeys on the pitch! Just look at that little lioness’s mane!” Lee bellows from his box. Little prick is lucky I don’t have a bludger nearby to wallop his way. I could do it. I could do it and no one could blame me. Fucking lucky, Lee is. No bludgers this way; they’re all near the action, which is where I need to be, so I zip off and the match continues as always, but with Lee making as many little digs as he can possible fit in. “The female fireball’s got quite an arm on her today,” “Gryffindor’s more catty carrot-top saves the chasers a lot of pain there,” “Ooh, the racy new red-head just barely dodges a bludger.” The crowd is eating it up. I can’t take the time or energy to find Cas again, but I bet she’s enjoying herself. I could say it’s windburn, but my face is probably as red as my uniform right now.

Harry ends up catching the snitch and the match is over and we won, but I don’t have time to revel in success. We shake hands with the Hufflepuffs, and before I can escape to the lockers, Chalie shows up again and pulls me aside once we dismount. 

“Hey! Great game today, you really deserve that victory!” She says in classic Charlie fashion, “And I absolutely love the new hair! What made you do it?”

“Oh, it just sort of happened,” I say, and she laughs. Then a thought comes to me. “Hey, can you pass a message on to Ruby? She’s about this tall and-“

“I know Ruby! Sure, what do you want me to say?” I give her a message to deliver, feel a warm sense of revenge bubbling inside me.

I go to the lockers and catch up with the rest of my team- Oliver gives a victory speech and everyone’s celebrating and it’s all good until the conversation turns to my hair. Comments are made implying it was a ‘brilliant strategy on my part- shock them so they can’t focus’. George comes right over to confront me. Before he says anything I tell him one word: “Cas.” He doesn’t need a reason behind her actions. He might not even think she has a reason, but all that matters is that my comment took care of George. Now I just need to deal with-

“Hey there, pretty lady,” Oliver says, tugging my hair. I look up and open my mouth to start rambling some not very thought out lie, hoping it’ll turn out for the nest or that my bull shitting will step up to the plate, but he leans in and stops any words I may have with a quick kiss.

“Orange is a brilliant color on you, ferret,” he tells me with an amused smile. That’s what I love about Oliver- no matter what it is, we trust each other- we’re on the same page- whatever you call it. This just proves it in my mind: he and I are soul mates.


	9. Year 4-9 POV Cas

I don’t consider myself a bad person. I’m not evil. People like to say the Slytherin is the House that spawns villains, criminals, and other variations of bad people. But I swear to god I’m not one of them. I’m just creative…especially when it comes to revenge. You say manipulative, I say persuasive. You say maniacal, I say cunningly brilliant. You say the devil; I say that, technically, I have angel on my resume, if you look back far enough. It’s all how you parse your words. I think I’ve run my silver tongue dry…for today at least. And it’s been a long fucking day. The story, however, starts a little less than a week ago. A Trojan horse in the form of a ribbon. The original Trojan Horse was a magical object- expanding spell on the inside so an entire army could fit in it. It’s why today there’s this company that sells purses charmed with an ancient family-secret spell that allows a girl to fit literally anything and everything her bag. People have successfully fit bodies in these purses with no one the wiser. I digress- the ribbon. See, Snape lent me a Potions book, one with all sorts of marginalized notes. It was his book when he was a student- and he was absolutely brilliant. In there he wrote original spells and methods of making potions more successfully. I’ve been studying it religiously. In it I found an advanced potions that allows two objects to fuse or swap colors on contact. Mix in a little time delay serum, and ta-da- Jo’s hair becomes the color of a pumpkin just in time for a Quidditch match. It was quite brilliant, if I do say so myself. And to top things off, I can manufacture them in a variety of colors and have the twins sell them- they’ve been hounding me for more products to be distributed. I think this will make them happy- and the school’s seen a pretty successful demonstration already.

See, my plan, it was all well and good- a beacon to the world that George and Jo should be together, until apparently she somehow misconstrued my message and decided that her and Oliver are ‘soul mates’. So it wasn't a victory, per se, on my war against Jo and Oliver.

And then things went even more downhill two days later when I was showering and realized too late that Jo somehow tampered with my shampoo and was attempting to dye my hair green. I still don’t know how she did it, but my long, raven-black hair, the pride of my appearance and highest bragging point of my vanity, is now a hideous grass green. She didn’t even have the mercy or courtesy to make it emerald. I look like an albino tree just sprouted leaves. See- I don’t know what spell or potion she used, and I’m not so stupid as to start trying to fix things willy-nilly without figuring out what I’m trying to reverse in the first place. I’m also not so stupid as to give her the satisfaction of seeing that her prank worked, or the satisfaction of having me admit I don’t know how to fix it myself. It was a dilemma. I couldn’t let her win, and I was faced with a horrible choice: my pride, or my vanity. After careful consideration I chose both. This of course meant that neither would reach the other side of the battle unscathed, but both would be relatively intact. Thus I took the liberty of sealing the girls’ bathroom off and locking myself in for the long haul. I emerged an hour and a half later a new woman. My magnificent tresses were no more; those rich flowing black locks a thing of the past. I cut my hair off. It was now short- like, almost as short as a boy’s hair. Pixie short. And because I couldn’t reverse Jo’s magic trick, I had to dye over the green hair- so I didn’t just make it black- I left streaks of the underlying green and added stripes of silver. The style looks a little punk, I’ll admit, but everything was necessary. It’s not actually that bad a look. And at breakfast in the Great Hall, I was met with a largely positive response to the hair, including a couple of whistles, shouts, and other noises generally associated with piggish men. Had this been a willing change of style on my part, I would have stuck their tongues to the roofs of their mouths; however, since this was a spur of the moment thing, I really didn’t mind at all. Miles, on the other hand, did not seem so flattered by the shower of less than coherent compliments.

I sat next to him as usual, but instead of just digging in quietly as he normally would, he just stared at me. That gaze had been stuck on me since I entered the Hall, I knew, but I wasn’t about to let myself think he’d care so much as to make a scene, or worse, dump me over it. I didn’t meet his eyes as I nibbled on my breakfast. “Cas,” He said. It was a command, a demand for an explanation. I felt myself physically shrink. I feared he didn’t like the way I looked anymore. I wasn’t about to let him know how irrationally scared I was in the moment, so I looked up and met his eyes and just stared, eyebrows raised, waiting for a question, comment, or some variation of a complete sentence. Instead of saying anything, he tentatively wiped his hand on his robes and reached out to my hair. It took a lot of control not to flinch or draw back, but I remained still, eyes locked on him. His hand ran through my hair, fluffing it and petting it and...admiring it? He cupped the back of my head, taking a fist of the hair, and suddenly pulled me in to him, and he kissed me right then and there at the breakfast table. When he pulled back and released my hair, he cocked his head and looked down at me with an amused glimmer in his eyes. “You are one sexy surprise after another, aren’t you?” I probably grinned like an idiot at the compliment, but no one saw because Miles wrapped his arm around me and scooted me as close next  to him as I could physically get, and we ate the rest of the meal in silence. And after the kiss, the rest of the kids were silent too; no more catcalls or remarks about my new look. Across the Hall I honed in on Jo, who was staring slack-jawed. I don’t know whether she was outrageously proud or just too surprised to feel anything else. She knew how much I loved my hair. It was the first physical casualty of our little war.

That was yesterday. This morning the Hall was relatively quiet; the weight of fear hanging over the majority of us. Not Miles, who seemed himself; or little Draco; fact is, the Slytherin house in general seems to be operating as usual. Except me, that is.

See, all this talk of the Chamber of Secrets, the beast therein, it got me curious. And so in my curiosity I fled to the library and researched for weeks on end. Nothing came of it up until right before the Quidditch match. I was hiding in the library from Jo, knowing she's be after me. I was sitting there flipping through one of the numerous books I had panned through too many times to count, when it hit me. A little page about a mythical creature- I'd seen it before but hadn't paid attention because I figured, if it's a myth, it's not relevant, right? Well this time I thought twice. But I got interrupted by the sound of footsteps and panicked, thinking Jo had found me. I ripped the page out of the book and went to run- right into the prissy little frizz ball herself- Hermione. Behind her was Charlie, reading at a table. I looked at Hermione, who was warily staring at me. She, for all her annoying traits, is a good kid. I knew she was interested in the Chamber like I was, so I grabbed her hand and gave her the folded up page. Then I pushed past her and left a message with Charlie for Jo, in case she did stop by the library looking for me.

I didn't think much of any of it until Miles and I were walking back to the castle from the pitch and were met with panic- two more attacks had taken place during the match, maybe even before it. If people hadn't been so quick to get across the grounds maybe someone would have found the girls- people were whispering their names. Only one registered with me: Hermione. I know I didn't do anything wrong, but it's scary. If I had done something different that morning, maybe she wouldn't have been attacked. But none of that applies to my story; another digression, alas. Someone else's tale. My story of the day is much more lighthearted and mischievous. See, Jo wronged me yesterday- she stole from me my hair. So today I knew I needed to get her back. And I did. All it took was luck and a few well told lies.

It began with Jo and Oliver, as most problem-causing stories do. I had asked Jo to come to the dungeons so I could have her deliver the ribbons to the twins to be sold. She must have misheard me, because when she did come down she brought Oliver. Worse still, they were...nuzzling? cuddling? I have no clue- they were publicly displaying their gross affections as they entered the dungeon ten minutes later than I asked her to be there. So by no fault of mine, the two idiots walking in on my weekly private lesson with Snape, all handsy with each other. Snape did not find this amusing. I personally was mortified. Snape assumed they were sneaking into the dungeons to...well... _get busy_...and promptly postponed my lesson and began escorting them to Professor McGonagall for some disciplinary action.

I now had free time on my hands, and decided some pay back was in order. I had the Map on me, as usual, and promptly tracked down Jo's favorite professor, Lockhart. I stumbled into his office to find him alone...looking into a mirror? I surprised him and he asked what I was doing- I told him Professor McGonagall needed him straight away, something about a misbehaving student needing his guidance. He obliged without hesitation or further question. I had seen a flock of fan girls in the halls on the way to his office and ran us into them quite on purpose, giving me the chance to run ahead to McGonagall's office. There I poked my head in and saw Jo and Oliver getting lectured. I knocked on the door and put my best innocent face on. I explained that Filtch was having trouble with Peeves and had sent me to get her. She sighed and got up, telling the two lovebirds to wait, and that they weren't done yet. She left and I turned back down the hall to retrieve Lockhart.

"It's Jolene Zocchi, Professor. Apparently Professor McGonagall thinks you'd make the best impression on her, in order to help her straighten out, that is." He blushed a bit as we reached the office, but walked in resolutely as anything. I waited right outside the door to hear everything. I was not disappointed. For no less than thirty minutes Lockhart spoke directly to Jo about her 'misplaced affections', her 'unusual attraction to older men', and then he assured her that 'it was completely unnecessary to try and make him jealous with this little stunt and Oliver Wood'. Oliver, of course, was clueless as to all of this, and if I was lucky, now thought he was being used to make Lockhart jealous.

I was keeping an eye on the Map so that I could disappear whenever McGonagall decided to reappear. I saw her and Filtch together in his offices for the entirety of Lockhart's lecture, so I knew I was safe. But eventually they broke apart and I made my way back to the Dungeons, to do some private studying while waiting for Snape. He came and we did some inventory- apparently people had been stealing from his stock lately- and finally went through our next lesson. The whole time he grumbles about the inferiority and immaturity of Gryffindor. Normally I might have made a comment to stop his verbal abuses, but today I was quite on his side. I hope those two hooligans learned their lesson.

I'm in bed now, thinking the day and my victories over. I smile to myself one last time as I close my eyes. But then someone shakes my shoulder, whispering my name. I jerk up, a little annoyed, to see some first year standing over me.

"Cassidy? Cassidy Walker?" I'm not used to little ones calling on me, and I can't think of a single good reason this girl is currently at my bed. Even for my good mood I can't hold back my signature sharpness.

"What the bloody hell do you want?"

"It's Fred- Fred Weasley. Something's wrong." Oh. Oh fuck.


	10. Year 4-10 POV Jo

_HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER_

It was ominous and it was written in blood. Some people thought that maybe some moronic students were taking a practical joke too far, but there was really no question that this was a very serious threat. Students were sent back to their dormitories; teachers were huddled in little packs deliberating amongst themselves. Fear was palpable; panic was inevitable. I stood alone in the crowd, staring at the blood smeared wall. Part of me thought it was all a joke, a dream maybe. Hogwarts was- _is_ \- the safest place in the world. Nothing like this would ever happen in the castle. Despite this hope I knew in my heart that it was real, and that it was more than possible that a student was dead. Throughout the year students have been fall prey to a mysterious attack, leaving them petrified. It was only a matter of time before the attacker escalated to murder.

People stream by me and I get bumped more than once, but I refuse to move. I shouldn’t be hiding from this- no one should. If a student really is in danger, we should be finding her, helping her, saving her life. It feels wrong to run. I realize that someone’s behind me, but I don’t turn to look. They’re either sharing my morbid fascination with the wall, or they’re going to try and tell me I have to move. 

“Jo,” it’s a barely audible whisper, “Jo. It’s their sister- Ginny Weasley is missing.” I turn my head and see Cas. She’s looking down at her feet, like she’s ashamed of something. Maybe she’s just afraid. I wouldn’t blame her if that was the case; I’m scared too. But with this new information I know we have to do something- anything. First, I want to find the twins. 

I turn my back to the wall and allow Cas to lead me through the waves of students. We make our way to where the twins are. George and Fred are standing in a corner silently, looking at each other. Their faces are ghostly pale and their hands are twitching nervously. Immediately I regret coming over to them- I feel like an intruder. This is their family; the problem is so much more personal for them. I feel myself frozen to where I’m standing. The twins don’t even look our way as we linger in front of them. Then Cas steps even closer and wraps Fred up in her arms. He doesn’t reciprocate, doesn’t react in any way, but she holds him for awhile before letting go and hugging George. This creates a reaction- as soon as she’s firmly holding him George falls to his knees, bringing Cas with him. She keeps holding on as he lets his head fall into her shoulder. He’s not crying, but this is somehow worse. Fred sit down too and takes George from Cas- the twins hold each other for a minute before letting go and just staring at the ground again.

I sit down with them and out of the corner of my eye I see something that I never expected- Cas’s face is stained with streaks of tears. She’s looking down into her lap, and little teardrops are forming on and falling off of her nose. She doesn’t make a peep this whole time.

“We have to do something,” I whisper. The boys flinch when I say it, and Cas quickly wipes her eyes and face to try and hide her tears.

“What can we do, Jo? We don’t even know what happened,” George asks desperately.

“The Map! Cas, do you have it? We’ll see where she is! It has everyone’s name in it, we can find her!” I exclaim, looking eagerly at Cas. She looks sadly at Fred, who shakes his head.

“I’ve had the Map for weeks now. We-” he motions at his brother, “we noticed she was acting weird for awhile. I got the Map from Cas when it started worrying us. I checked it when they first told us that Ginny was the one missing- I can’t find her anywhere on it. She’s gone.” This is crazy- people don’t just disappear from Hogwarts. There has to be an explanation.

“Oh god Cas, don’t” I hear George say- we all look at Cas and she’s got more tears rolling down her pale cheeks. She bites her bottom lip and turns away from us, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Cas, don’t you start on us- or I’ll start crying too,” Fred says shakily. That sends Cas off, and she folds herself up into her knees and lets out a couple of shaky sobs.

“I’m sorry- I’m- I can’t…” she cries. I pull her over to me and hold her tightly. She’s shaking like crazy and I wonder what exactly has her going off like this- we’re all scared, but she’s not the type to cry in fear. It usually makes her steel herself all the more. I ask her why she’s crying like this. She takes a couple of breaths to calm herself before answering.

“I’ve spent the whole year mad or avoiding you all, especially you,” she says to George, “And when I heard it was Ginny I just thought that it could have just as easily been me or any of you, and I feel so shitty about how I spent my year. You guys mean everything to me,” she explains in between sobs. When she says that I feel myself starting to choke up too- I’m no better than her. I spent so much time with Oliver that I neglected my closest friends. What if it was Cas got taken away? What if I never saw her again, and the last substantial conversation we ever had was me ranting at her about how she humiliated me in front of Oliver using Lockhart? I would never be able to forgive myself.

I see that her words affected the twins too. We all sit there on the verge of tears, when Cas pulls herself to her feet, and gets the rest of us up too. She walks us to the old study room- the one none of us have been in since the Christmas Party, and we all sit in a couple of comfy chairs and Cas starts talking about some funny thing that happened during one of her tutoring sessions. It gets us all to crack sad smiles, and we all begin to share stories of the things that we’ve been experiencing alone for the past year. The fear and worry are never completely gone, but the fact that we can hold silence at bay keeps us from simply wallowing in despair. We talk the night away uninterrupted, our wands lighting the room when it gets too dark, and our voices never getting louder than whispers. At one point Cas gets up and hugs George again, formally forgiving him for what he did, and apologizing for holding a grudge as long as she did. Then she sits down with Fred, huddling next to him for warmth. I do the same with George.

At some point not long after that we all fall asleep, and wake up in just those same positions in the morning. When I wake up I think I’m the first, until I see Cas. She’s curled up next to Fred same as last night, but her eyes are wide open. She’s not looking at anything in particular as far as I can see, but she looks peaceful; something I haven’t noticed in her for a long time. When she sees I’m awake too she decides to get up, and gently as she can she removes Fred’s hand, that wasn’t quite spooning her, but was resting on her side. That’s when I realize just how comfortable George and I got as we slept; he’s got his arm firmly around me, and I was unconsciously holding his hand in mine. I remove my hand from his and shimmy out from under his arm. We stand up and I contemplate just leaving the twins, but Cas decides to wake them up too. She gently pats Fred’s shoulder, so I follow suit with George. The boys wake up and are almost immediately gripped with panic.

We all end up running through the castle in no particular direction, until we promptly run into McGonagall. She looks surprised to see students running through the halls, but the surprise subsides when she realizes who it is. She smiles softly and takes the twins, telling Cas and I to go back to our dormitories. I don’t want to, but when McGonagall requests something, you do it. As we’re walking away I ask Cas if she thinks Ginny is okay, and with a tired but genuine smile she whips the Map out from her robes- she took it from Fred in the middle of the night.

“I wanted to check but I didn’t want to wake anyone by lighting my wand,” she explains, “so I just held onto it all night.” Together we open it to display the part of the castle we’re in, so that we can follow the twins and McGonagall. They walk through the corridors and then the Weasleys’s footprints leave the page, and Cas turns frantically to find them again. When she does, it’s not just the twins she finds, but all of the Weasleys, including Ginny. We do a quiet little dance and hug each other tight, knowing that things are alright for at least another year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the final chapter of the fourth year for the twins and their friends. Look for the next update under Year 5. Thanks for reading, and please tell your friends about the story.


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